Most popular baby names of 1931

In 1931, the most popular names for US babies were Robert for boys (60,520 babies, 5.8% of boys) and Mary for girls (60,299 babies, 5.7% of girls). The rest of the top five were James, John, William and Richard for boys and Betty, Dorothy, Barbara and Joan for girls. SSA recorded 4,321 different boy names and 4,978 different girl names that year.

Top 100 boy names, 1931
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Robert	60,520	–
2	James	51,213	–
3	John	48,422	–
4	William	43,280	–
5	Richard	31,823	–
6	Charles	29,933	–
7	Donald	29,102	–
8	George	20,686	–
9	Joseph	19,327	–
10	Thomas	16,846	▲ 1
11	Edward	15,647	▼ 1
12	Paul	12,255	–
13	David	11,783	▲ 2
14	Kenneth	11,568	▲ 3
15	Jack	11,489	▼ 1
16	Frank	11,472	▼ 3
17	Raymond	10,854	▼ 1
18	Harold	10,694	–
19	Billy	9,263	▲ 1
20	Walter	8,940	▼ 1
21	Eugene	8,152	–
22	Henry	7,805	–
23	Arthur	7,525	–
24	Albert	7,131	–
25	Ralph	6,960	–
26	Gerald	6,823	▲ 4
27	Ronald	6,726	▲ 10
28	Carl	6,582	▼ 2
29	Joe	6,456	▼ 2
30	Harry	6,045	▼ 2
31	Willie	5,963	▼ 2
32	Bobby	5,858	▲ 9
33	Fred	5,698	▼ 1
34	Howard	5,623	▼ 3
35	Roy	5,489	▼ 2
36	Norman	5,426	▲ 4
37	Louis	5,424	▼ 3
38	Lawrence	5,364	▼ 2
39	Clarence	5,062	–
40	Earl	5,047	▼ 2
41	Herbert	4,788	▼ 6
42	Francis	4,735	–
43	Jerry	4,371	▲ 8
44	Daniel	4,360	▲ 3
45	Marvin	4,360	▲ 3
46	Anthony	4,310	▼ 2
47	Ernest	4,298	▼ 4
48	Leonard	4,279	▼ 3
49	Stanley	4,202	–
50	Alfred	3,949	▼ 4
51	Melvin	3,700	▼ 1
52	Leroy	3,648	▲ 1
53	Roger	3,625	▲ 5
54	Bernard	3,514	▼ 2
55	Michael	3,489	▼ 1
56	Samuel	3,379	▼ 1
57	Bill	3,217	▲ 2
58	Wayne	3,217	▲ 7
59	Don	3,176	▲ 9
60	Ray	3,161	▼ 3
61	Peter	3,122	▼ 5
62	Dale	3,008	▲ 2
63	Russell	2,943	▼ 3
64	Gene	2,766	▲ 6
65	Andrew	2,713	▼ 3
66	Floyd	2,707	▼ 5
67	Edwin	2,704	▼ 1
68	Lloyd	2,704	▲ 1
69	Leo	2,700	▼ 6
70	Theodore	2,667	▼ 3
71	Philip	2,648	▲ 4
72	Glenn	2,624	▼ 1
73	Frederick	2,471	▲ 1
74	Vernon	2,465	▼ 2
75	Clifford	2,451	▼ 2
76	Gordon	2,397	▲ 1
77	Clyde	2,336	▼ 1
78	Bob	2,318	▲ 10
79	Allen	2,308	▲ 6
80	Alvin	2,299	▼ 1
81	Jimmie	2,288	▲ 5
82	Elmer	2,265	▼ 2
83	Herman	2,263	▼ 5
84	Leon	2,245	▼ 3
85	Douglas	2,203	▲ 4
86	Vincent	2,162	▼ 2
87	Lewis	2,160	–
88	Larry	2,147	▲ 20
89	Jimmy	2,125	▲ 13
90	Lee	2,123	▼ 8
91	Martin	2,103	▼ 8
92	Gilbert	1,993	▼ 2
93	Harvey	1,978	▼ 1
94	Charlie	1,975	▼ 3
95	Eddie	1,959	▲ 2
96	Lester	1,919	▼ 1
97	Jesse	1,895	▼ 3
98	Arnold	1,835	–
99	Milton	1,834	▼ 6
100	Warren	1,834	▼ 4

Top 100 girl names, 1931
Rank	Name	Babies	Change
1	Mary	60,299	–
2	Betty	36,105	–
3	Dorothy	26,524	–
4	Barbara	21,803	▲ 2
5	Joan	19,119	▲ 3
6	Helen	17,664	▼ 2
7	Margaret	17,332	▼ 2
8	Patricia	16,470	▼ 1
9	Shirley	14,405	▲ 2
10	Doris	13,629	▼ 1
11	Ruth	13,131	▼ 1
12	Virginia	11,886	–
13	Jean	11,013	▲ 1
14	Dolores	10,806	▼ 1
15	Joyce	10,580	▲ 3
16	Elizabeth	10,292	▼ 1
17	Nancy	10,036	▲ 7
18	Frances	9,718	▼ 2
19	Marilyn	9,664	▲ 3
20	Lois	9,348	▼ 3
21	Alice	8,816	▼ 1
22	Norma	8,759	▲ 3
23	Gloria	8,547	▲ 7
24	Evelyn	8,491	▼ 5
25	Anna	8,429	▼ 2
26	Mildred	8,170	▼ 5
27	Marie	7,549	▼ 1
28	Martha	7,482	▼ 1
29	Phyllis	7,213	▼ 1
30	Rose	6,881	▼ 1
31	Beverly	6,789	▲ 3
32	Donna	6,600	▲ 5
33	Louise	5,897	▼ 2
34	Marjorie	5,880	▼ 2
35	Ann	5,858	▲ 6
36	Catherine	5,642	▼ 1
37	Irene	5,616	▼ 4
38	Geraldine	5,413	▲ 5
39	Ruby	5,331	▼ 3
40	Eleanor	5,255	▼ 1
41	Annie	5,090	▼ 1
42	Peggy	5,077	▲ 25
43	Florence	5,011	▼ 5
44	June	5,002	▲ 3
45	Janet	4,948	▲ 8
46	Carol	4,891	▲ 8
47	Lillian	4,807	▼ 3
48	Rita	4,613	▼ 6
49	Lorraine	4,588	▼ 3
50	Jane	4,532	▲ 5
51	Josephine	4,497	▼ 2
52	Edna	4,461	▼ 1
53	Thelma	4,440	▼ 8
54	Wanda	4,395	▲ 2
55	Gladys	4,351	▼ 7
56	Pauline	4,191	▼ 4
57	Juanita	4,130	–
58	Delores	4,050	▲ 8
59	Theresa	4,034	▼ 9
60	Carolyn	4,008	▲ 12
61	Clara	3,899	▲ 3
62	Lucille	3,854	▼ 3
63	Bernice	3,822	▼ 5
64	Audrey	3,790	▼ 1
65	Edith	3,772	▼ 4
66	Marion	3,763	▼ 6
67	Ethel	3,760	▼ 2
68	Joanne	3,757	▲ 13
69	Wilma	3,741	▼ 1
70	Grace	3,712	▼ 8
71	Sarah	3,636	▼ 1
72	Elaine	3,622	▼ 3
73	Bonnie	3,552	▲ 5
74	Hazel	3,507	▼ 3
75	Charlotte	3,403	–
76	Emma	3,308	▼ 3
77	Arlene	3,217	▲ 26
78	Jacqueline	3,135	▼ 4
79	Esther	3,034	▼ 2
80	Anne	2,979	▲ 3
81	Billie	2,921	▼ 2
82	Vivian	2,893	▲ 9
83	Patsy	2,869	▲ 14
84	Marian	2,862	▼ 4
85	Beatrice	2,844	▼ 9
86	Elsie	2,807	▲ 2
87	Kathleen	2,799	▼ 3
88	Rosemary	2,722	▼ 6
89	Laura	2,668	–
90	Joann	2,655	▲ 28
91	Julia	2,624	▼ 1
92	Katherine	2,624	▼ 7
93	Willie	2,597	▼ 6
94	Eva	2,592	▼ 8
95	Marlene	2,585	▲ 293
96	Loretta	2,581	▲ 9
97	Sally	2,557	▲ 1
98	Jeanne	2,525	▼ 6
99	Ellen	2,450	▲ 1
100	Ida	2,419	▼ 6

Source: US Social Security Administration baby name data, 1931. Counts are Social Security card applications for US births; SSA leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year. Updated 2026-10-05. How these numbers are made.